New business plan: crushing Dems

Democrats may be going out of their way to say they aren’t anti-business, but business is gearing up to demonstrate that it’s anti-Democrats — at least when it comes to members of the party’s liberal wing.

The latest blatant signs of hostility come from coal executives who are considering starting up their own political operation to work against candidates they deem unfriendly to their interests. Their first three targets are all Democrats.

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has already vowed to invest $75 million in the mid-term elections. And health insurers are also planning to play big in November, although the specifics remain in flux. Both groups are hedging their bets by aligning themselves with some moderate or conservative Democrats in case Republicans don't win control of Congress.

Both America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and its Coalition for Medicare Choices are expected to play a major role in the messaging, along with individual companies. But neither group, according to sources, plans to directly attack Democrats, which would risk infuriating the White House as it writes reform regulations as well as the Blue Dog Democrats who opposed the legislation. But the negative messages could still create headaches this fall for health care supporters.

For instance, districts with large populations of seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage will likely be inundated with ads explaining it was health reform – not insurers – that is responsible for their higher bills and slashed benefits, one industry official said.

Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for the industry trade group AHIP, wouldn’t discuss the organization’s political battle plan except to say, “We are going to continue to talk about the need to address skyrocketing medical costs and the significant impact that Medicare Advantage cuts will continue to have on the 11 million seniors in the program.”

A handful of large insurance companies are considering a separate campaign aimed at building long-term relationships with Democrats, including those who bucked their party leadership on reform or who stood by the insurance industry on other issues.

“They understand and recognize that it’s not a partisan effort, that they need to play in the middle on both sides of the aisle,” one source familiar with the discussions said.

The decision to operate independently of AHIP “reflects the fact they want a streamlined process, regardless of cost, without dealing with ankle biters,” the same source noted.

When AHIP President Karen Ignagni was asked about the potential for a breakaway group, she said: “I generally make it a policy not to comment on palace intrigue.”

Bill Miller, the chamber’s political director, has a simple explanation for why it is mobilizing.